Telnyx Calls FCC’s $4.5 Million Penalty ‘Mistaken’

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2025 – Communications service company Telnyx, facing a possible $4.5 million fine for an alleged illegal robocall scheme, claims it has not broken any regulatory requirements.

“Telnyx is surprised by the FCC’s mistaken decision to issue a Notice of Apparent Liability stating an intent to impose monetary penalties. The Notice of Apparent Liability is factually mistaken, and Telnyx denies its allegations,” the company said in a statement Wednesday.

According to an FCC release describing Tuesday’s 3-1 decision, Telynx, which provided the network used in the robocall scheme, did not take the necessary steps to identify and prevent malicious actors from using its programs.

“Telnyx apparently failed to verify the identity of its customer that placed the scam robocalls. As the companies responsible for introducing calls onto the public voice network, originating providers are best positioned to prevent illegal calls by stopping them before they begin,” the release said.

Telnyx admitted failing to identify and prevent the malicious calls, but it said, “perfection in mitigating illegal traffic is not required,” and claimed the FCC’s own rules acknowledge this.

“The FCC now seeks to impose substantial monetary penalties on Telnyx for limited unlawful calling activity that Telnyx not only did not originate but swiftly blocked within a matter of hours,” the company said in its response to the FCC.

The company argued it took reasonable steps to prevent fraud, implying a complete check of each customer would be too expensive and time-consuming. It also said no such illegal activity has occurred on its networks since.

The FCC’s decision was not final, and Telnyx will have an opportunity to defend itself and its actions.